Shelby County Families
Schimerowskis Married 61 Years; Remember Early Days
The News-Advertiser, Harlan, Iowa, June 27, 1950
"Polish immigrant John Schimerowski had a rough time of it when he came to Shelby county in 1881.
Fresh from the old country and speaking a strange language, Mr. Schimerowski had lots of troubles. But they're just a haze in the past now. This early Earling settler is looking forward to that 96th birthday coming up about February of 1951. And he and Mrs. Schimerowski are planning for that 61st wedding anniversary October 29.
Mr. Schimerowski thinks the 61 married years is some kind of record for the county and doubts if there is another couple that has been married that long.
To the man who remembers being in Chicago during the disastrous fire many years ago, Shelby county was little more than a wilderness then. He was only 17 and had been in this country since 1872.** Work wasn't too good and Mr. Schimerowski started picking corn near Earling.
In 1881, the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul laid a line of tracks through the county. Grateful residents promptly named the town of Earling in honor of the president of the railroad Mr. Schimerowski started to work on the railroad after corn picking was over. He recalls that he was living on a farm three miles from Earling during these days.
Westphalia wasn't too far away. Miss Katherine Langenfeld, daughter of one of the pioneer settlers in the Westphalia community, lived there. And 61 years ago this fall, these two early residents of Shelby county were married. The groom remembers that he was married in Earling. "They had a wooden church then--later had to knock te ends out and add to it to take care of the people," he says.
Mr. Schimerowski and his wife worked hard--saved their money retired to Earling 30 years ago. She will be 90 in November. Up until last year residents of this community watched retired Mr. Schimerowski go down town, do things about the white-coated home at the top of the main street, and act as spry as a spring chicken.
Right now, this native of the old country is kinda taking it easy. After all, the century mark is just a few years off and there's another wedding anniversary this fall. And years go awfully fast--except the old years--and they creep with the leaden slowness of father time himself."
**Transcriber's Note: The Great Chicago Fire took place in early October, 1871. Thus, if John Schimerowski was in Chicago at the time of the Great Chicago Fire, as indicated in this article, he had to have arrived in the U.S. prior to 1872.
Click image to enlarge
| 
